John Furlong attempts to halt Denmark speech by journalist he’s suing

Gordon Hoekstra, Vancouver Sun10.30.2013

Journalist Laura Robinson, who is being sued by former Vanoc boss John Furlong, above, is set to give a speech in Denmark called Truth, Lies and History: John Furlong and Canadian Sport’s Moral Vacuum.

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Former 2010 Vancouver Olympic CEO John Furlong tried to halt a speech by Laura Robinson, a journalist and author of a controversial article alleging he abused former First Nations students.

Robinson, however, delivered the speech today at a Danish sport conference called Play the Game. Her speech is entitled Truth, Lies and History: John Furlong and Canadian Sport’s Moral Vacuum.

In an email from Denmark, Robinson thanked conference organizers “for believing in freedom of expression and not caving into demands of censorship.”

More than 300 journalists, scientists and sports officials from 30 to 40 countries are expected to take part in the eighth iteration of the world communication conference on sport and society, which has tackled such issues as doping and corruption.

Furlong and Robinson are locked in a series of lawsuits related to the original article published last fall in the Georgia Straight. He claims her allegations are false and libellous. She, in turn, filed a countersuit defending her story, claiming it was true and in the public interest.

In an interview Tuesday, Furlong said he is speaking out to defend himself against her speech in front of an international audience.

“This campaign of harassment — and making false allegations has continued and continued and continued,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “It’s affected my livelihood, it’s affected my life, it’s affected my children, my grandchildren.”

In the presentation, Robinson was set to reassert claims first made last fall about Furlong’s time as a physical education teacher at a Catholic elementary and high school in B.C.’s Interior in 1969 and the early 1970s.

Furlong’s lawyers, Hunter Litigation Chambers, sent a letter to Play the Game organizers calling on them to “ensure that Ms. Robinson is not given an opportunity at your conference to make further defamatory statements about Mr. Furlong.”

The letter threatened legal action if defamatory statements were made by Robinson.

Furlong embarked on a series of media interviews this week to declare he has been told by the RCMP he has been cleared of abuse claims. However, the RCMP insists the file remains open.

He continued the blitz Tuesday with an interview offer to The Vancouver Sun, something he has declined since the abuse allegations were published in the fall of 2012.

Public relations firm TwentyTen Group also issued a statement from Furlong, entitled “Enough is enough,” claiming he was exonerated by the RCMP and outlining allegations against Robinson.

Furlong said he has dropped a civil suit against the Georgia Straight but intends to continue legal action against Robinson that he launched last fall.

Bryan Baynham, Robinson’s lawyer, said the Play the Game organizers have not backed off, and Robinson’s speech was scheduled for early Wednesday.

“The threat of defamation action has not caused the organization to prevent her from speaking,” he said.

Baynham said there is nothing stopping Furlong from proceeding to trial on his civil suit against Robinson, which they would welcome.

In an email from Denmark, Robinson said: “I wish to recover my good name as a journalist through the legal process and wish to proceed to trial as soon as possible. At that time we will break down each of Mr. Furlong’s mis-truths and show how incorrect they really are.”

John Furlong attempts to halt Denmark speech by journalist he’s suing

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